Sostenuto piano.



P. SOBLIK.

SOSTENUTO PIANO.

APPLIQA'TIOI num ocT.1,1so'1.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

SLM/@m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL SOBLIK, OF MAGDEBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRANZ KOCH AND MARTA SOBLIK,

OF MAGDEBURG, GERMANY,

SOSTENUTO PIANO.

Application filed October '7 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL SoBLrK, instrument-maker, a subject of the German Emperor, King of Prussia, residing at 44 Kaiserstrasse, Magdeburg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sostenuto Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a mechanical action for key controlled sostenuto pianos, the object being to produce a continuing sounding of the string or chord during the pressing of the key.

It is desirable for certain pieces of music and under special circumstances for instance in large rooms, for choirs and the like, to hold the sound of the stringed instrument for a certain time at the same loudness in order to obtain an effect similar to that obtained with pipe-instruments such as organs and harmoniums. This object is obtained according to the resent invention by an uninterrupted osci lation of the hammer during the pressing of the corresponding key whereby a continuous striking of the string is obtained.

The annexed drawing shows one embodiment of my invention, and in this drawing: Figure l is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a front elevation of the hammer device, Fig. 3 a plan view of a mechanical piano action constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

As shown by this drawing the hammers c.

are hingedly connected at their front b to the upper end of a movable hammer carrier which forms a lever c hingedly connected to a rail o at its lower end and held in its position of rest by a spring d and pushed back against the action of the said spring by the key h through sticker g and bell crank f, e, as soon as the key has been pressed down.

Connected with the hammer carrying lever cis a roller i which by means of a crank pin 7c actuates a connecting rod l connected with the hammer butt t. In front of the series of rollers 'i and rotatably supported is a cylinder m which receives a rapid rotary motion by actuating devices arranged in the lower part of the instrument. These actuating devices may for instance comprise levers, cranks and fly wheels arranged and acting as the driving devices of sewing machines. When the key h is depressed, the roller i is pressed against the cylinder m and owing to the action of the crank 7c the hammer receives a rapid and posi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Serial N0. 396,316.

tive oscillating motion or vibration so that the string is acted upon by a continuous succession of blows given all with the same force.

The diameters of the rollers and the cylinder are preferably chosen in such a manner that the number of hammer blows be in a determined relation to the number of vibrations of the strings so that the lower tones receive per time unit a lower number of sounding blows than the high tones. This object may be realized by a conical form of the driving cylinder and a corresponding enlarging toward one side of the diameters of the rollers while the eccentricity of the crank pin remains the same.

Having now fully described my said invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mechanical action for key-controlled sostenuto instruments the combination with the hammer, the rail and the key of a hammer-carrier hingedly connected to the rail, the hammer butt hingedly connected to the said hammer carrier, a spring for the hammer' carrier, a crank mechanism carried by the hammer carrier and connected to the hammer butt to cause the latter to oscillate, an actuating member for the said crank mechanism and means arranged between the hammer carrier and the said key to move the hammer carrier against the action of the? hammer carrier spring when the key is depressed so as to cause the said actuating member to actuate the crank mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a mechanical action for key controlled sostenuto instruments the combination with the hammer, the rail and the key of a hammer carrier hingedly connected to the rail, a spring for the carrier the hammer butt hingedly connected with the hammer carrier, a roller revolubly carried by the carrier, a crank pin on the said roller, a connecting rod interposed between the crank in and the hammer butt, an actuating cyllnder revolubly mounted in front of the roller, means for rapidly rotating the cylinder and means interposed between the hammer carrier and the said key adapted to move the hammer against the action of the carrier spring when the key lever is depressed so as to cause the roller to contact with the said actuating cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a mechanical action for key conf trailed sostenuto instruments the combination With each hammer, the rail and each key of a hammer carrier hingedly connected with the rail, a spring for the carrier, the hammer butt hingedly connected with the hammer carrier, a .roller revolubly mounted on the hammer carrier, a crank pin on the said roller, a connecting rod connecting the crank in with the hammer butt, an actuating cy inder revoluhly mounted in the front of the roller of each hammer carrier, means actuated by foot of the player of the instrument for rapidly rotating the said cylinder,

' and a system of levers interposed between the hammer carrier and the said key tomove the hammer carrier against the action of the carrier spring When the said key is depressed, s0 as to cause the roller to contact with the said actuating cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a mechanical action for key controlled sostenuto instruments the combination with each hammer, the rail and each key of a hammer-carrier hingedly connected with the rail, a spring for the said carrier, the hammer butt hingedly connected with the hammer carrier,` a roller revoluhly mounted 0n the hammer carrier, a crank pin on the roller, a connecting rod connecting the said crank pin with the hammer butt, a conical actuating roll revoluloly IIlQuIlted to engage the said roller, having its larger diameter on the side of the higher tones, means actuated hy foot by the player of the instrument for rapidly rotating the said conical roll, and a system of levers interposed between the hammer carrier and the said key to move the hammer carrier against the carrier spring, so as to cause the roller to contact with the said actuating roll as long as the key is depressed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses'.

PAUL SOBLIK. Witnesses:

Enron Pnrnns, MARIE SCHNEIDER. 

